Jericho Road
by Kyou-chan-Otaku
Summary: A fic with each chapter as its own, individual, one-shot songfic, based mainly around Kenshin's past, and his relationship with Kaoru. No chronological order. Rated for slight swearing and slight violence.
1. Jericho Road

Jericho Road  
  
Chapter 1: Jericho Road  
  
A/N: Um, hi, I guess. This is my first RK fic, and just to let you guys know, there is NO chronological order. This will be filled with plenty of songfics of the various characters from RK, although it will be centered mostly around Kenshin, and his past/his relationship with Kaoru. You'll see my reason for the title of the fic soon enough.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own Jericho Road by Walter Trout.  
  
Anyway, on with the story and enough of my useless dribble!  
  
{blah} - lyrics  
  
The dirt underneath him made little noise as he walked down the path, a wind blowing his fiery read hair. Silence rang around him on the lonely path.  
  
{On Jericho Road  
  
There ain't no mercy  
  
The cold wind blows  
  
And it cuts you to the bone}  
  
Wind continued to brush past him, and it seemed as if the voices of past people he'd killed. A picture of a face appeared unwillingly in his mind's eye, taunting him of something he could never have.  
"Miss Kaoru," he uttered the name of the one woman he cared most about.  
  
{And the clouds in the sky  
  
Are blocking out the sun  
  
On Jericho Road you travel all alone}  
  
He hadn't felt this lonely in a very long time. Not since he had met. . .her, innocent Miss Kaoru with such a large heart that she could forgive a man like him.  
Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Kenshin Himura shifted his traveling pack slightly and considered walking next to the path. The dust had been kicking up around him from the wind as if making him pay for the time he walked this path over ten years before.  
  
{And the dust beneath your feet  
  
Is clouding up your eyes  
  
And everyone you meet's  
  
A stranger there}  
  
Bowing his head further, he allowed his red bangs to fall around his face and tightened his grip on his bag. Kenshin passed by other travelers who whispered at his dangerous appearance.  
  
{And you turn your eyes away  
  
Because you realize  
  
On Jericho Road nobody cares}  
  
Another bout of loneliness swept over him, but he quickly banished the feeling, berating himself for allowing one such as him, with such bloody and unclean hands, to feel as if he should have company.  
His mouth tightened into a thin line, and he continued walking past, curling his arm further into the sleeve of his kimono in an unseen gesture of discomfort.  
  
{I was there but I was so much younger then  
  
I swear I'm never going back again  
  
I still remember everything I left behind}  
  
"Foolish," he thought to himself as he walked, "It was foolish of me to believe that I could never have to travel down this path again, for this one of a past filled with blood."  
Hitokiri Battousai. The name was so familiar yet so distant to Kenshin, the rurouni. That title would stay with him until the day he died.  
"Miss Kaoru didn't care," a voice said in the back of his mind.  
Shaking his head, the traveler knew that he had left that life behind as well. Perhaps, one day, he would go back once he had finally rid his hands of the red stain.  
  
{And I ain't ever going back  
  
Because I know there ain't no mercy down on  
  
Jericho Road  
  
There ain't no mercy  
  
On Jericho Road  
  
There's only broken dreams}  
  
Memories flooded his head as he continued walking down the desolate path, although there were still those who walked past him. If only he had not allowed himself to become so situated at the Kamiya dojo. . .  
That would have meant certain death for Miss Kaoru, he realized suddenly, eyes widened behind the curtain of red bangs.  
But then, if his past title hadn't been of so much attention. . .  
Another shake of his head followed, although very discreet and almost completely inconspicuous to others. And this path only fueled it. . .  
  
{On Jericho Road  
  
Ain't goin' back there no more  
  
On Jericho Road}  
  
Never would he willingly travel this path again, never. Well, if he had anything to say about it.  
  
{And you wonder why you're there  
  
But you can't help feelin'  
  
This is the way it really has to be}  
  
"This is the way it must be," he murmured. "This one cannot allow himself to impose on Miss Kaoru any longer, nor cause more danger and trouble than already."  
Yet, a small feeling of regret bubbled up inside of him as he remembered her tears, and his heart clenched at the thought that he had caused them. Another failure to add to the ever growing list-  
Kenshin cut his thoughts of there, not willing himself to become ensnared in the ever growing trap of guilt. Perhaps Miss Kaoru would be better off that way, without him, maybe find someone to spend her life with.  
Without him.  
A cringe and a tighter frown later, Kenshin had stepped off the path, tracking his way through the woods. It was getting a little too close to dusk for his comfort.  
  
{But there ain't no use tryin'  
  
Out on the road to nowhere  
  
You only end up cryin'  
  
And wishin' you were free}  
  
Huddled by a tree, he gazed into the fire, flashes of his life in Tokyo racing through his troubled mind.  
Why had he been so foolish as to think he could have peace, for once? Why did he think he could escape his past? Depressing thoughts were cut off as his eyes drooped slightly, and finally he fell into a not-so-blissful sleep.  
  
{I was there but I was so much younger then  
  
I swear I'm never going back again  
  
I still remember everything I left behind  
  
And I ain't ever going back}  
  
His dreams were troubled by memories of when he had walked down this path, still bearing the title of Hitokiri Battousai openly. The smell of blood permeated in his dream, and he awoke with a start, drenched in sweat.  
Quickly, desperately, he got up and ran in a random direction, feet breaking twigs everywhere. He didn't care, as long as he found water.  
  
{Because I know there ain't no mercy down on  
  
Jericho Road  
  
There ain't no mercy  
  
On Jericho Road  
  
There's only broken dreams}  
  
His quest was completed as a tiny stream came into view, and he dunked his hands in the water, scrubbing away furiously at the imaginary red liquid that was dried against his hands. Flooding him, more memories came and Kenshin scrubbed harder, nearly turning his skin raw like so many times before. The last time he had done this to himself was before. . . His eyes closed briefly and he scrubbed even harder, rough, calloused skin becoming raw and cracked at the treatment, as if he hoped the water could wash away his memories from his mind.  
  
{On Jericho Road  
  
Ain't goin' back there no more  
  
On Jericho Road  
  
On Jericho Road  
  
On Jericho Road}  
  
"When this one did this the first time he was at Miss Kaoru's dojo," he mused to himself, "She was concerned of what this bloody one was doing to his hands. She stopped him from doing it, and this one never did it again after that, for fear of concerning her farther."  
Sighing, Kenshin stopped scrubbing and took his hands out of the water, placing them in his lap as if she was there to berate him for hurting himself.  
"Perhaps the smell and blood of death on the road is more in this one's mind, that it is. And perhaps this-no, I," he smiled, thinking of when the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin style had bashed him over the head with her bokken whenever he said, "this one," "Will return to Miss Kaoru soon, so that th-I may show her these clean hands."  
He got up and walked away, hands curling up instinctively into his kimono, although the look of distress he had had on last time he had done it had given way to not one of his rurouni smiles, but a small, gentle smile that shone behind his amethyst eyes.  
  
{On Jericho Road. . .} 


	2. Sheep Go to Heaven

Jericho Road  
  
Chapter 2: Sheep Go To Heaven  
  
A/N: And here's chapter 2 of Jericho Road. . .Yay?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own, once again, Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own Sheep Go To Heaven by Cake.  
  
{blah} - lyrics  
  
Kenshin wondered vaguely where Kaoru was as he stirred the pot of rice slowly, noting that while Yahiko was up, and Sano had eventually wandered around looking for free food, she had not yet appeared.  
And he couldn't sense her presence anywhere in the dojo. . .  
Mouth pressing into one of his impassive faces, covering up his worry, he couldn't stand it anymore and got up, walking towards Miss Kaoru's room. Gently, he knocked, and opened the door, peeking around the room. Amethyst eyes saw her sandals and favorite ribbon gone.  
  
{I'm not feelin' alright today  
  
I'm not feelin' that great  
  
I'm not catchin' on fire today  
  
Love has started to fade}  
  
Soft prayers drifted on the winds of the morning as the assistant master knelt in front of a grave marker, and finally a soft sob broke through the hasty, forlorn tumble of words.  
A hesitant hand untangled itself from its mirrored partner, reaching for the inscription on the stone. They followed the engraved words, then continued to flow to a tombstone that sat next to it. Kaoru's hand rested itself on top of the second stone.  
  
{I'm not going to smile today  
  
I'm not going to laugh}  
  
"Mother," she said in a choked voice, "I know you betrayed father and me, and I saw what your leaving did to him. . ."  
Her hand clenched tightly on the stone, before it relaxed, and more drops flowed down her face. She looked back to the first stone, barely able to make out the words, "Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Style," through the blur.  
"I wonder what Kenshin and the others are doing without me, and I hope that the brat remembered to tell him I was gone," she murmured. "Oh Father," she sobbed, "Why did they have to kill you on such petty differences?!"  
Her body bent over as she buried her face in her hands, hard sobs shaking her frame.  
  
{You're out living it up today  
  
I've got dues to pay}  
  
Kenshin raced down the path to the gate of the dojo, vaguely hearing Yahiko call out something about "Ugly" being busy for the day. He didn't care, for he had a strange, foreboding feeling in his heart, like she was in pain.  
Without thinking, the rurouni let his feet carry him, guided by the strange feeling in his heart. He raced down streets he'd rarely ever traveled in Tokyo, various pebbles crunching under him as he almost literally flew down the path.  
  
{And the gravedigger puts on the forceps  
  
The stonemason does all the work}  
  
Kaoru didn't hear someone running up behind her as she moved her hands from her face to the ground, where they clenched the grass around her.  
"A sword to protect. . .Look where it got you, Father, look where it got me," she managed without sobbing, glaring down angrily as she attempted to brush the tears off her face. Although she succeeded, more tears replaced the last ones.  
As if she just realized the embarrassment of her tears, she quickly stood up, looking one last time at the stones before turning around and running as much as she could in her kimono. However, the assistant master ran directly into something soft and incredibly warm.  
She looked up, and violet met sapphire in a confused gaze.  
"Kenshin?" she murmured as he steadied her from falling from the impact.  
Blushing under his concerned, direct gaze, she tried to wrench herself out of his grasp, but he merely tightened his hold.  
He leaned closer, and her blush darkened as he continued to look her in the eye, before he said, "You've been crying, Miss Kaoru, that you have."  
"Gee, great way to ruin the moment, Kenshin," she thought to herself sarcastically.  
  
{The barber can give you a haircut  
  
The carpenter can take you out to lunch  
  
Now,  
  
But I just want to play on my panpipes,  
  
I just want to drink me some wine}  
  
Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug by none other than the rurouni standing in front of her. It was oddly similar to the one he had given her before going to Kyoto, however, this one was filled with concern instead of gratefulness.  
"What's wrong? This one would late to help, that he would," he murmured.  
Once again, Kaoru tried, unsuccessfully, to wrestle out of his grip, but only managed to get pulled into a tighter one. She shook her head and did the only thing she felt like doing then. . .She buried her face in his shoulder and cried into his pink, or as he would say, MAGENTA kimono.  
Kenshin frowned as he held her, wondering why she was in a cemetery and why she was so upset. She had been seeming a bit more upset than usual for the past week, but this was the first time he had seen her cry for a while.  
  
{As soon as you're born you start dyin'  
  
So you might as well  
  
Have a good time  
  
Ah no, sheep go to heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell}  
  
After what seemed like forever, he allowed her to step out of his embrace. She turned her back and wiped her remaining tears away angrily, shamefully, not turning around to look at him.  
"Miss Kaoru, please," he begged, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This one knows that it is better to talk, that he does."  
"A sword to protect." Blinking, he waited for her to continue her thought. "That's what my father dreamed of, and what I am to continue." A bitter smile wound its way up onto her face.  
  
{Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell}  
  
"Do you know how and why he died?" Kenshin shook his head bemusedly before she continued. "Someone murdered him in his sleep." Wincing, the rurouni recalled many times that he himself had done the act. "They left a note on him, written in his own blood, saying words I'll never forget. . .  
'SWORDS KILL A SWORD TO PROTECT LOOK WHERE IT HAS GOT YOU NOW IT ONLY LED YOU TO DEATH.'"  
Another tear rolled down her cheek. "The person murdered him because of his ideals. When has the world gone so wrong that you murder those with different beliefs than you?"  
A sob built in her throat but she refused to allow it to escape. More memories pounded Kenshin of how many times he had done such an act for a reason very similar.  
  
{I don't wanna go to sunset street  
  
I don't wanna feel the emptiness  
  
Bold marquees with stupid band names  
  
I don't wanna go to sunset street}  
  
He lost track of how many times he had done the act, but he didn't allow himself to venture into that lonely part of his mind. Miss Kaoru needed his comfort right now.  
Reaching over, he pulled her closer to him so that her back was against him. The former hitokiri turned her around, looking down at her tear stained face. Gently, he brushed the tears streaming down her face off, blue eyes gazing up at him.  
Smiling softly, he said, "I do not think that he would want you to be sad, that I do not."  
She looked up in shock at him, not only at what he had said, but at the fact that he had used "I" instead of "this one."  
  
{I don't wanna go to sunset street  
  
I don't wanna feel the emptiness  
  
Bold marquees with stupid band names  
  
I don't wanna go to sunset street}  
  
"Kenshin," she mumbled before even more tears streamed down her face, and she buried her head in his chest once again, welcoming the feeling of protection his presence brought her.  
"It is alright Miss Kaoru, that it is," he murmured, glad for the fact that she had stopped sobbing, although the tears had stopped.  
"Thank you," she said as she pulled away, brushing off the remainder of her tears. Sighing quietly, she stepped out of his embrace, and both shivered at the sudden chill it left them with. Kaoru turned and looked back at the stones with a sad smile on her face.  
"Come on Kenshin, let's go home before the brat and Roosterhead, that freeloader, destroy the dojo. . .again," she smiled her first real smile of the day, and his heart beat faster.  
  
{And the grave digger puts on the forceps  
  
The stonemason does all the work  
  
The barber can give you a haircut  
  
The carpenter can take you out to lunch}  
  
He smiled a real smile in return, as if thanking her for the one she had sent him. Shyly, as they walked down the path out of the cemetery, he gripped her hand gently, and her eyes met his questioningly. However, she didn't pull away, despite her pink tinted cheeks, and they walked home, together, comfortably.  
  
{Now I just want to play on my panpipes  
  
I just want to drink me some wine  
  
As soon as you're born you start dyin'  
  
So you might as well have a good time}  
  
They walked through the gates of the dojo, laughing together as they recalled silly times of when Yahiko had first joined the dojo, and of the bickering he and Sano had.  
"Hey Kenshin, Ugly, where'ya been?" Yahiko asked, broom in hand. "I had to sweep the dojo because that idiot, Roosterhead was too laz-"  
* WHAM * Sano hit the boy in the head hard, then noticed the two still holding hands. "Well, what do we have here? Did you guys forget to tell us something?" He said with a rakish grin.  
Both blushed as bright as the rurouni's hair, but neither made a move to disentangle their joined hands as they stood in the yard.  
"This one-* I * am glad that Miss Kaoru is feeling better, that I am," he thought to himself as he smiled at her through his blush. "It is unfortunate that innocents who don't deserve to die do. However, I am not sure if we would have met otherwise, and despite the fact of how selfish that sounds, I cannot help but feel that she would not have wanted us to continue as strangers."  
  
{Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell  
  
Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell}  
  
"Hey, you guys going to stand there all day starin' into each other's eyes or am I gonna get some lunch?" Sano complained loudly with an impish look on his face as he watched them blush brighter, Kenshin hurrying away while muttering something about food.  
  
{Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell  
  
Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell}  
  
Kenshin stirred the lunch lazily, remember all that had happened that day. He had seen a side of Miss Kaoru that he was sure others had not seen. . .And why had she not moved away when he grasped her hand?  
"Hey, Kenshin," the soft voice said, and he would have jumped had he not had better control of his reflexes.  
"Miss Kaoru," he greeted as he turned his head slightly, throwing a slight smile before going back to cooking their meal.  
  
{Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell  
  
Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell}  
  
"I, uh," he could hear her shifting uncomfortably and smiled mentally at her innocence, "Wanted to thank you," she finished as her hand landed on his thin shoulder. Looking up, he steered his surprised gaze into her grateful one.  
"For some reason, it doesn't hurt as much now, and I have you to thank. I mean, with everything you do around here. . ." She trailed off and smiled genuinely down at him, and he tilted his head down towards the lunch he was preparing to hide his blush.  
"This-I do not mind, that I don't. After all, you let me stay in your housing," came the humble reply as he caught himself before he said, "this one."  
Her smile widened if possible, and she held out her hand. Confused, he dropped his cutting knife and turned, looking at the hand before hesitantly grasping it.  
"I guess this makes us even, then, hm?" She said, grinning. Suddenly, she pulled him towards her and planted a kiss on his cheek with the scar on it. "Just wanted to say thanks again."  
And she was gone, leaving the poor Rurouni to stare at the spot she had just been in, hand touching his scarred cheek as if it was a holy relic. Grinning widely, he went back to chopping the vegetables, making sure to make it an extra special lunch, for Mi-for Kaoru.  
  
{Sheep go to Heaven  
  
Goats go to Hell. . .}  
  
A/N: Yes, I'm sure you're all wondering what this song has to do with this fic, well, the chorus of it anyway. If you look closely enough, you will figure it out. I'll explain next chapter. 


End file.
